Stagecoach and Vickers drive major C02 and cash savings

TRAFFORD PARK, U.K. - March 26, 2013 - PRLog -- Transport operator Stagecoach has reduced CO2 emissions by more than 50,000 tonnes in six years by using Vickers energy efficiency technology – with substantial extra savings in the pipeline.

Stagecoach has recently upgraded its energy management system by installing Vickers’ new V42 product,  which is expected to cut energy use by a further 21.5%, saving an additional 2,800 tonnes of CO2 per year*.

Manchester-based Vickers has also added lighting control technology that will cut electricity bills by 11.5% in the first year, saving £300,000.

The upgraded energy management system is being rolled out to all Stagecoach’s UK bus depots. Previous results indicate that the system will have saved around 58,000 tonnes of CO2 by 2013 – the same amount of energy required to power around 12,000 homes for a year**.

Stagecoach has invested some £2.2million in the initial installation and recent upgrade. However, the group expects to have saved more than £7.8million in energy bills in the six years up to 2013.

The Perth-based business uses Vickers equipment to control heating and lighting at more than 100 bus depots across the UK. The first installation was in 2004 at Stagecoach’s Chesterfield and Mansfield sites, which was followed by other depots in the East Midlands and the North East as a result of gas consumption reductions of 36%.

Malcolm McKinlay, regional accounts manager at Vickers, commented: “The initial work involved a lot of phone calls and many miles of travelling to demonstrate the system and the savings, but Stagecoach is a forward-thinking organisation and its people quickly grasped the commercial advantages our technology offers.

“In the first instance we worked with engineering directors, installing systems and, importantly, monitoring savings after installation. In this way, we built a partnership and eventually worked alongside the UK Bus finance director to roll out the system across Stagecoach’s other sites.”

Stagecoach UK Bus managing director Les Warneford said: “We are working very hard to become an even greener business. The efforts of our staff, along with the Vickers Energy Management System, have delivered very good results for us through a marked reduction in energy consumption.

“We are pleased to be upgrading the system to help further reduce our Carbon footprint at all our depots across the UK and we will also continue to take steps to attract even more people onto our greener, smarter bus services.”

The Vickers technology allows Stagecoach improved monitoring and control of its gas heating systems at depots through the introduction of high-tech control panels which provide greater reliability and reduce waste.

The system has also been linked to electrical circuits at some depots, resulting in extra reductions in electrical consumption. In addition, increased use of door sensors and improved heating controls are helping Stagecoach further reduce energy usage at its bus operations.

In the meantime, Vickers continues to upgrade its products. The firm is in the process of installing remote-access links directly from Stagecoach sites to Vickers’ head office in Manchester, giving instant access to enable remote monitoring and any changes on site.

Malcolm McKinlay added: “Vickers Electronics is very proud of its long partnership with Stagecoach and the energy savings delivered. It is always gratifying to work with like-minded people who have a commitment to energy reduction for the benefit of the environment, and we are pleased that this can go hand in hand with commercial benefits too – which helps both our customers, and our customers’ customers.”